The group that advises the government on drugs policy (ACMD) has come under criticism with its latest appointment, Hans-Christian Raabe a Manchester GP and member of the fervently anti-gay Marantha Christian movement who offer ‘Gay Affirmative Therapy’ to cure homosexuality.

Raabe preaches the benefits of (straight) marriage in combating addiction, believing that married people are happier and less likely to smoke or suffer from alcoholism.

He thinks the ‘homosexual lifestyle’ is destructive, leading to substance addiction, depression and suicide. He also co-authored a paper entitled; “While the majority of homosexuals are not involved in paedophilia, it is of grave concern that there is a disproportionately greater number of homosexuals among paedophiles and an overlap between the gay movement and the movement to make paedophilia acceptable.”

Linking paedophilia and homosexuality in any context makes me absolutely furious and I resent having to even have to refer to such bigotted views on this site but having someone who has the power to influence policy holding such views forces me to. Raabe however doesn’t consider himself a bigot, which incidentally I do, and claims his religious or political views won’t influence his input into the committee. This is ironic considering that in a previous governmental consultation on the issue of abortion he failed to mention his extremist Christian affiliations, leading to deliberate religious skewing of the evidence.

I fundamentally disagree that such a man be given political influence and worry about the direction the drugs committee (ACMD) will take under the coalition if this is the type of person they appoint. Professor Nut, a former member of the ACMD who was sacked after disagreeing with the goverment said of the latest appointment:

‘the appointment of Dr Raabe confirms in my mind that the ACMD cannot be considered to be a body that has science at the heart of its decision-making’.